In the age of binge-watching and streaming, infinite TV show options are available at all times. With all these options, a TV show exists for everyone. There are shows to scare, entertain, educate, or transport you to a different world. There are even shows that make perfect background noise while you clean or get work done. Since so many options exist, it can be overwhelming to pick something to commit to. If there’s one TV genre that is almost guaranteed to keep you invested, it’s thrillers.
Just like thriller movies need to keep you hooked from start to finish, so do thriller TV shows. Since much of the television consumed now is streamed, these shows need to be exciting and captivating. Luckily, many TV thrillers fit that description. Even better, most of them are available to stream on Netflix. We have compiled a list of the ten best TV thrillers to watch right now on Netflix.
10
‘Dark’ (2017 – 2019)
Release Date
2017 – 2019
Network
Netflix
Showrunner
Jantje Friese
Dark is a German show set in a small town where the disappearance of two young children exposes the relationships between four families. The psychological thriller comes with a supernatural twist as the events in the present-day relate to events in the same town, but back in 1986. As the families look into the disappearances, they begin to uncover unfathomable secrets.
An Enthralling Foreign Thriller
This show marks the first German production by Netflix, and it has an impressive 95% Rotten Tomatoes Critic score and a 94% Audience score. It is engaging from start to finish, and with three seasons, it’s bound to thrill you. It shocks you in ways you didn’t know were possible, and constantly throws new information at you. The revelations are equally surprising as they are enthralling.
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9
‘Narcos’ (2015 – 2016)
Release Date
2015 – 2016
Showrunner
Chris Brancato
Directors
Chris Brancato
Based on the true story of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, Narcos is a crime thriller that follows the lives of the two DEA agents who spent years in Columbia to bring down Escobar and his cartel. The show details Escobar’s origins, his drug-related endeavors in and beyond Columbia, and the rise and fall of his power over the country. It also shows the lesser-known family side of one of the most powerful cartel leaders in history.
A Binge-Worthy Crime Thriller
Following DEA agents Javier Pena (Pedro Pascal) and Steve Murphy (Boyd Holbrook), the show is relentless in its depiction of the crime syndicate started by Escobar. Agents Pena and Murphy spent years throughout the ’80s and ’90s attempting to find cracks in Escobar’s carefully executed scheme. The show displays how it affected their personal lives and the lives of Columbians. It’s non-stop action from beginning to end, making it easily binge-worthy.
8
‘The Society’ (2019)
Imagine a modern-day take on Lord of the Flies, but instead of little boys stuck on an island, it’s an entire town of teenagers with no way out of the town. That’s essentially what The Society is. When a group of teenagers leaves their town of West Ham, Connecticut for a field trip, they are suddenly taken back to town and told to get off the buses. Thinking that their parents are waiting to take them home, they are shocked to discover that the entire town is void of people. With their phone and internet service cut and a dense forest surrounding them, they must form a functional society to survive.
Teens at the Edge of the World
Tragically canceled after one season by Netflix during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Society was gripping from the first scene. The ensemble cast was full of interesting, complex characters who had to grapple with being forced into adulthood while still maintaining some semblance of youth. Jealousy, fear, hunger, and adolescence fight for attention as the teens attempt to form a town of their own with no guidelines or supervision. If there’s any show Netflix should bring back, it’s The Society.
7
‘Breaking Bad’ (2008 – 2012)
One of the most prominent shows of the late 2000s/early 2010s, Breaking Bad is often regarded as one of the best television shows of all time. It follows timid high school chemistry teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston) as he is diagnosed with cancer and must figure out a way to pay for his treatments and care for his family. He turns to cooking the purest crystal meth to make ends meet. With nothing left to lose, Walter succumbs to the world of drugs and crime and becomes the feared drug kingpin known as Heisenberg.
A Thrilling Criminal Origin Story
Watching Walter White go from a simple family man who never spoke his mind to the mastermind behind a lucrative drug empire is unbelievably thrilling. He recruits the help of his former student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), who has connections with the local drug dealing scene, to help him cook and sell the meth. Their unlikely partnership is the driving force behind the show, and the situations they find themselves in are always dangerous and illegal. Breaking Bad never fails to keep you on the edge of your seat completely entertained and wondering what Walter will do next.
6
‘Preacher’ (2016)
Release Date
May 22, 2016
Network
AMC
Showrunner
Sam Catlin
Set in rural Texas, Preacher stars Dominic Cooper as Jesse Custer, an alcoholic preacher who is gifted an extraordinary ability after experiencing a crisis in his faith. The soul of an angel and demon’s child attaches itself to Jesse, granting him the Word of God. Determined to actually meet God, Jesse enlists the help of his volatile girlfriend Tulip (Ruth Negga) and his vampire friend Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) to join him in his quest.
A Genre Blend Sure To Thrill
Preacher is a unique blend of fantasy, horror, comedy, and mystery that creates one of the most bizarre yet enjoyable thriller shows ever made. It can be laugh-out-loud funny one minute, and dark and twisted the next. Since it doesn’t adhere to the rules of one genre, it is infinitely more entertaining and engaging. Jesse and his crew get into some seriously strange shenanigans during their journey to find God. They meet plenty of weird and aggressive characters along the way, which makes the world of the show interesting throughout its four seasons.
5
‘Prison Break’ (2005 – 2016)
From the jump, Prison Break starts intensely and doesn’t let up on the tension. When his brother is falsely convicted of murder and given the death sentence, Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) must give up his swanky lifestyle to get himself incarcerated with his brother. With a map of the prison disguised in an intricate tattoo design covering his entire back, Michael plans to break his brother out of prison.
One of the Best First Seasons in Television
Prison Break has one of the best first seasons of television in TV history. Every scene of that first season is enthralling and leaves the viewer breathless. The script is tightly written and filled with incredibly complex hidden details and characters you can’t help but want more of. It’s the type of show that requires your full attention every episode. The third and fourth seasons do lose steam a bit in comparison to the relentless action of the first two seasons, but it still captures the attention as you become so invested in the characters and how their scheme will pan out.
4
‘Ozark’ (2017 – 2021)
Release Date
2017 – 2021
Showrunner
Bill Dubuque
Directors
Bill Dubuque
Ozark is a drama thriller that follows financial advisor Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) as he moves his family from the Chicago suburbs to the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. The relocation is forced on Marty when his business partner steals money from the cartel they had been laundering money for. To save himself and his family, Marty agrees to launder $500M in five years.
A Thrilling Money Laundering Scheme
In a different role than what he typically plays, Bateman excels as a no-nonsense businessman ready to get his hands dirty to save his family while also making some money in the process. From the moment the Byrde family arrives in the Ozarks, it is evident that there is shady business going on in this area. This makes it slightly easier for Marty to acquire businesses to use as laundering fronts, but not easier to keep his criminal activities hidden from his new community.
With the cartel, local law enforcement, and eventually the FBI breathing down his neck, Ozark is a thrill ride. Something else that makes the show stand out is that Marty’s wife Wendy (Laura Linney) doesn’t try to stop Marty or let him do the work on his own; she gets right down to business as well. Sometimes more forcefully than Marty.
3
‘Mindhunter’ (2017 – 2018)
Release Date
2017 – 2018
Showrunner
Joe Penhall
From executive producer David Fincher, Mindhunter is an intelligent detective thriller set in the late 1970s. The show follows two detectives, Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), as they attempt to broaden the realm of criminal science by investigating the psychology behind murder. They try to solve crimes with academics as they believe the status quo of Means, Motive, and Opportunity (MMO) no longer suffice. Using a mix of psychology, sociology, and anthropology, Holden and Bill try to change the way law enforcement investigates crime but get too close to the monsters.
A Fascinating Look into the Minds of Serial Killers
If true crime and the psychology behind murder fascinate you, then this is the show for you. The interviews shown in the show are based on real-life interview recordings the FBI conducted with serial killers, which adds to the stakes of the show. Since it takes place when the FBI was building its profiling program, it is quite interesting to see how some people were all for trying to understand the psyche of a killer, and others thought it was a waste of time. The only downside to this show is that it’s only two seasons, and it will leave you wanting more.
2
‘Squid Game’ (2021 – Present)
2.5
/5
Release Date
2021 – 2024
Network
Netflix
Showrunner
Hwang Dong-hyuk
-
Lee Jung-jae
Seong Gi-hun / ‘No. 456’
The hit Korean show Squid Game took the world by storm when it debuted on Netflix in 2021. The mystery thriller follows a single father named Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) who is in an exorbitant amount of debt. When he is approached by a well-dressed salesman at the subway station about playing children’s games for money, Gi-hun thinks he’s found the answer to his financial problems. However, when he arrives at the gaming facility, Gi-hun quickly learns that these are no ordinary kid’s games and that his life is in danger.
A Thrill Ride from Start to Finish
The first season of Squid Game is nothing short of spectacular. Excellent pacing, clever writing, and an intriguing cast of characters made it an overnight success. It’s one of the streamer’s most successful shows and has one of their biggest launches to date. It is truly exciting from start to finish, with plenty of twists and turns to make you yell at your screen and audibly gasp. It’s the type of show you can easily binge in a day and not regret a single second you spend inside. Season two may lose the novelty of the revelation in the first season, but the pacing gives you little time to think about it as the next events are already in full swing.
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1
‘Yellowjackets’ (2021 – Present)
Release Date
November 14, 2021
Network
Showtime, Paramount+ with Showtime
Showrunner
Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson, Jonathan Lisco
Yellowjackets is a show everyone should be watching. It follows a talented girls’ high school soccer team who travel from New Jersey to compete in a national tournament. On the plane ride there, they unexpectedly crash-land in the middle of the Canadian wilderness. Stranded with little to no hope of being rescued, the girls and their coach are forced to adapt to their new environment and live by the ways of the wilderness. Over 20 years later, the surviving girls must grapple with the horrific decisions they made while stranded in the wilderness.
Another Genre Blend That Hooks You
People stranded in a desolate area due to a plane crash is not a new concept, but the way Yellowjackets goes about it is different from other shows with similar premises. These girls didn’t just forage for food and resources while waiting for an unlikely rescue, they made deliberate decisions that would haunt them forever. They succumbed to the call of the woods and gave into their deepest, most animalistic desires. As adults, they refuse to tell anyone what really happened while they were stranded, leading to deadly repercussions.
The show is a blend of psychological thriller, mystery, and horror that introduces mysterious elements about the girls and the woods that hook you from the first episode.
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